Dear TLS. My son was off today and we went to Hobby Lobby to purchase some model planes to assemble. We purchased a set of “Military Miniatures” made by a company called TAMIYA.
Upon opening the miniature soldiers at home, we were shocked to discover that the stickers that went with the soldiers had swastikas on them. We immediately repacked it and tried to return it to the Hobby Lobby store in Howell. In the repackaging, one of the tiny soldiers got lost.
We went directly to the store manager and told her that we wanted to return the item and we told her that “we found the item to be offensive and it shouldn’t be sold in their store.”
She agreed to take the return but when we showed her that we were missing one soldier she said she was sorry the item was non refundable as SHE COULD NOT RESELL IT MISSING A PART.
Apparently she completely missed the point.
I think that most of us have lost family in the Holocaust. I think that people should know that Hobby Lobby in Howell puts more emphasis into their bottom line than doing the right thing.
Thank you.
Editor’s note: TLS spoke with a representative at Hobby Lobby who said she was aware of the incident, though she could not say if they intend to remove the items from the shelves.
We also spoke with representative at Hobby Lobby’s corporate office, who said she would share the concern with the purchasing department. They would be the ones to make the ultimate decision whether or not to remove the item from the shelves, she said.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
And they have now officially lost me as a customer.
Last wednesday was my last time stepping foot into the shop. Thanks for informing us. Cant support a store that has to even think if they should remove an item as such. Goodbye HL, it was a pleasure.
I wouldn’t want them in our home.
If it’s world I I era then their getting authentic models. There were good guys and bad guys. What did you expect hello kitty stickers? FYI hobby lobby makes it a point they are owned by gentile family. Support your yidden and try buying at their stores.
Just curious, why not just throw out stickers?
Do not count on Hobby Lobby dropping this item from their stores. When Hobby Lobby opened its first store in this area (in Manalapan),
they made it quite clear that they did not want or need Jewish customers when they refused to carry any Chanukah merchandise. Apparently, their strict Christian values does not include tolerance toward any other religious group. I have never and will never walk into a Hobby Lobby store and encourage other Jewish customers to do the same.
they seem to have a reputation as being antisemitic. I was speaking to someone awhile back and they told me they don’t shop there because the company is antisemitic. That was one guys opinion but hearing a story like this definitely doesn’t help.
Same here
Thanks TLS for letting us know.
While I can understand the disgust of our community at this symbol, let us not forget that this is history. I too am disgusted at seeing this symbol of hate but it isn’t possible to wipe out the history behind it. The stickers in question here were on military miniatures which I suppose the company made to be historically accurate but not offensive. When I was younger I used to assemble model airplanes from WWII. Some had the red “meatball” of the Japanese air force and others had the swastika of the Luftwaffe. They were historically accurate models and that is all. These models have been made for 40 years or more without anybody getting upset. You can always choose to paint over the offensive decals or not even apply them. I think that this PC stuff is getting way out of hand.
PS. How is the store supposed to sell something with a missing part? If you lost the part it shouldn’t be the store’s problem.
this is the same chain 2 years or so that did not carry any Jewish items around holidays. when a customer asked why not the clerk said the boss would not carry Jewish things for some reason. was not nice what ever the reason. they may now stock items as it was backfiring in them.
Forward this letter to the CEO of Hobby Lobby. The store manager missed the point entirely.
if you look on TAMIYA website thy sell WWII German Assault Troops and the likes, with all the stickers and all
I thought it was a nice store, but someone told me they are antisemitic. I don’t know if this incident proves that or not.
im going to michaels from now on
I dont get this. Im the child of a holocaust survivor. I am not afraid of some stupid stickers. The toy was a german army. I would just have my kids dive bomb them. You people are too sensative and made of sugar. You dont like the stickers? So throw them out.
They are dead to me
Me too I will never walk in that store again
My heart is racing!!!!
Ugh!! Hopefully, people will boycott such a store!
It is a disgrace to anyone who respects human life!
I WILL NEVER WALK INTO THERE. they can sue the the government about certain aspects of obamacare but sell nazi items
While I agree the swastika symbol is offensive. In this circumstance I think the symbol is more of historic nature. You are shopping in a hobby shop not a toy store and hobby shops have a lot of historically acurate “toys”. I think you need to accept the fact there were Nazis and it is a part of history.
The stickers are offensive and the morally correct thing would be not to sell an item like that in their store. Imagine if a big Jewish owned chain store sold a picture of the Pope with a big red X across his face. That would be very offensive to some and not appropriate to sell. The fact that they are indifferent to Jewish customers sensitivities is something to be alarmed about. I will not go there again.
Let’s arrange a big protest with permits outside the store
Over sensitive
I agree with “Bill”. These models are made to be historically accurate. The company that makes them has no intentions for the symbol to be used in a hateful manner. As a customer who may not want the model to represent history I would suggest that you just not apply the decals and maybe paint a “star of David” instead. As for the store manager not accepting a return…. Neither would I, and I am an orthodox Jew who’s family was literally wiped out by the Nazis. I suspect that most of the anger this consumer feels has more to do with the fact that a return was not accepted as opposed to the fact that ss symbols came with the kit. I think that when people from outside of our community read posts like this they must be thinking “???!!!??”. I mean seriously this is the most rediculous complaint. Do you know how many companies sell historical products that contain ss symbols that we are not boycotting? How many Jewish books in the judaica store contain Nazi imagery? Let’s get REAL! The customer was upset that a return was not accepted since she “lost” a figure. What a chillul hashem. It’s time we stop bickering about the little things so that when our voices need to be heard on important issues someone is there to listen and take the s seriously?
You need to be more supportive of the measure to stop the deal with Iran before the next Holocaust begins vs worrying about what a store carrys……..
this is not a store that Jews should be in. years ago they opened in Marlboro NJ, they started up with the Jews right at the get go.
Thank you Bill, for being the breath of common sense in a hurricane of knee jerk reactions.
Tamiya is known for producing and selling historically accurate military models, not snap together toys, from all nations from all eras. It would be an affront to model builders if , as an example,WW 2 era German aircraft did not include the swastika.
However, you will notice that their website does not show planes, or military vehicles, with this emblem and neither did their catalog.
1. You won’t be offended if you know what you’re buying. Taniya doesn’t make TOYS . You can get them at Target. If something offends you, don’t buy it.
2. If you’re skilled enough to build one of these and, say, you really want a ME-109 or a tiger tank, or a German infantry division, leave the decal in the box.
3. Why would you think that any store would take something back that’s incomplete? Hey, I wanna return this coffee pot but i lost the lid, do you mind?
You can not change or ignore history. These models are accurate examples of an era of a dark and evil time in that history.
They have said they don’t need Jews in their stores so we don’t need them either.
Stores have been removing anything with a confederate flag even though they are historically accurate because they are offensive. Swastikas should be considered just as offensive
With your logic the coop and center of town should carry christian ,hindu and other religious items. I guess you would be ok with that. Take a chill pill and cover up stickers just like you cover u cereal boxes with un tznius pictures
I won’t walk into that store again.
I honestly dont understand the fuss the plane is a historically accurate model. Would u want yad vshem to erase all pics of the swastika.
And about them not selling Chanukah stuff. They are a very religious CHRISTIAN run store. Would u complain if a Jewish store refused to sell crosses. And if a christian threatened to stop shopping there u would legitimately tell them ur not looking for their business.
I don’t know if they’re antisemitic or not, but these are not good examples
I would like to know if they have any merchandise with teh confederate flag on it. If not it’s a total hyocrisy. If so they are evenly bigoted
To all the comment writers that are defending the store. You missed the boat nobody is saying that we will sue them or burn down the store like the protesters in Baltimore all we are saying is that we are hurt that a local store is selling items that is very sensitive to us and we will boycott the store or protest peacefully outside with permits we don’t have to shop in a store that doesn’t care about our community or that doesn’t want our business we would rather shop in a store that is sensitive to us and happy to have us as customers like so many other wonderful stores in the neighborhood.
They didn’t sell Chanukah stuff because the vast majority of there customers are not Jewish. Stop worrying.g about these little things. These figures are historical!!! If you don’t like them don’t buy them.
I agree 100% with #8 (Bill), #23 and #31.
(Above all, if you don’t have ALL the pieces how can you even think that they would take it back. Use a little “seichel”.)
Would you support selling photos of Hitler because they are historically accurate??? Not all but MANY people who’s families were wiped out by the Nazis find a Swastika no less offensive. The Confederate flag did not become a symbol of genocide. A store that does not recognize the deep sensitivities involved does not deserve my business.
Some people would like to forget there was a holocaust, to deny the existence of Nazis and pretend the swastika does not exist. They proceed to use my name to further their goal. They want people to think that the community in Lakewood supports holocaust denial and forcing a store not to stock some items.
Not in my name.
The holocaust happened and holocaust denial will not return our kedoshim. Let us remember and not try to get the world to forget.
Bill…and similar posts. Walmart pulled everything with a confederate flag. Do you really think Hobby Lobby should be selling items with swastikas?
I think some of you missed the boat. Its was never about a 7.00 return. Its a shame that people keep posting about the “seichel” you need that of course the store wont accept it back with a missing piece. We didn’t give a hoot about the non refund. It was just an additional slap in the face.
I think some people missed the letter writer’s intent. Of course she realizes that you can not resell something missing a piece – she was saying that since they should be pulling it from the shelves they wouldn’t need the missing mentchie and should refund the money.
(I don’t necessarily agree with the reasoning, especially if these are being sold as authentic historical military sets.)
To commenter
And I think (and presumably you agree) that Walmart is crazy for doing that and is just caving
Sam – while I may agree regarding the confederate flag, this is different. The civil war was painful but a more legitimate battle for its time. The Nazis were evil. Genocide of 11 million people, 6 million specifically Jews? This is not something to commemorate – especially not on a toy.